• by Sara Guaglione , July 25, 2019

BBC News is moving its features sites to progressive web apps (PWAs) for faster load times, a smoother flow between articles and improved ad layout. 

PWA technology combines the functionality of traditional web pages with a mobile app-like experience online — without having to download an app. It also includes features like offline reading capability. It also gives advertisers improved flexibility and increased viewability, according to BBC News senior vice president of sales, Tim Wastney.

“PWAs respond quickly to user interactions, which helps create a fluid and responsive web experience,” he says. “The PWA's faster speed and cleaner design will allow for even greater interaction and engagement with our ad partners.”

Studies have found 53% of users will abandon a site if it takes more than three seconds to load. The majority of the BBC feature sections’ readers are on mobile, per the company. 

Wastney told Adweek the changes will also lead to more ad dollars.

The first vertical to be created in the PWA format is Worklife, a franchise that launched this week. It will focus on the balance of personal and professional lives, aimed at millennials. 

By next year, half of the global workforce will be millennials or younger.

Worklife will also explore trends and themes like burnout, unconscious bias, the influencer economy and an exploration of how family life is changing.

In August, Worklife will launch the "Generation Project," a three-month series. Each month will examine a different topic, such as the leadership role millennials are taking in the global workforce and how changing housing trends shape attitudes toward money, family and society.

Worklife will also have special region-specific series and themes, starting with the Scandinavian work-life balance.

Worklife is an evolution of BBC.com’s former vertical, BBC Capital, which grew its audience 15% from 2017 to 2018.